Bosh's 3s bring Heat back from 14 down to escape Bobcats

December 2, 2013|By Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel

MIAMI — So how do you break out of the Sunday doldrums?

Chris Bosh from distance.

And again.

And again.

With Bosh converting three 3-pointers in the final 2 minutes, 39 seconds, the Miami Heat went from 14 down in the fourth quarter to a 99-98 victory Sunday over the Charlotte Bobcats at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"He was on fire," forward LeBron James said of the previously slumping Heat center. "He just kept that momentum."

Until Bosh got lined up for his decisive shots, there was little momentum for Bosh or the Heat, rather a meandering effort that allowed the Bobcats to hang close, look even dominant at times.

Then, with 2:39 to play, Bosh, from straight on, converted a 3-pointer that drew the Heat within 89-87, a shot that seemingly hit every inch of the rim.

"I was, 'No! Yes! No! Yes!' " he said before the ball ultimately nestled through the net.

Then, with 1:54 to play, there was another 3-point conversion from the top of the circle, drawing the Heat within 91-90.

"The shots," Bosh said, "were there."

Finally, with 1:20 to play, there was his third 3-pointer of the period, one that put the Heat ahead for the first time in the second half at 93-91.

"Every time I got a pass," he said, "they were right on the numbers."

The Heat would not trail again, their winning streak extended to 10 and now 14 consecutive victories over the Bobcats.

"That was not by design necessarily," coach Erik Spoelstra said, with this the first time Bosh had converted three 3-pointers during any period over his NBA career. "But we have no problem shooting wide-open looks.

"He stepped up. Once he hit the first one, he felt like he got hot. Chris stepped up big."

James led the Heat with 26 points, with Bosh adding 22 and Dwyane Wade 17.

Guard Kemba Walker led the Bobcats with 27 points, actually with a chance to tie late, when he was fouled on a 3-point attempt by Heat guard Norris Cole with seven-tenths of a second to play and the Bobcats down four.

Walker missed the 3-pointer, preventing the needed four-point play, made his first two free throws, but then also converted the third attempt that he was trying to miss.

So with a bit of good fortune and solid late defense, the Heat held on.

"We have to not just focus on winning the games," Spoelstra said of the uneven effort, "but can we get better?"

The Heat seemingly decided to invest about six minutes of passion into this one.

So after playing cat and mouse with the 'Cats and falling behind 79-65 with 9:14 remaining, they stepped up.

"I don't think we did anything bad in the game," James said. "We defended. They hit some tough shots."

And James toughed it out, still bothered by a recurrence of back spasms he experienced in Friday's road victory over the Toronto Raptors.

"It's not where I was before the Toronto game," he acknowledged. "It's frustrating, but I'm still able to help my team."

Spoelstra also found a different way, playing point guards Mario Chalmers and Cole in tandem at the finish.

"The energy changed," Spoelstra said of that combination. "The minutes those two played together have been good."

Spoelstra went in warning his players greater effort would be required on offense. The Bobcats entered with the NBA's longest streak of holding the opposition below 100 points, that streak now up to 11 games.

"You're going to have to burn some calories to get the looks," he said.

Many of those calories went unrequited early, including 2-of-8 shooting by recently emerging forward Michael Beasley and 1 of 4 from guard Ray Allen.

Through it all, the Heat closed at .522 from the field, including a significant 8 of 18 on 3-pointers.

With a pair of first-half blocked shots, Wade became the NBA's all-time leader among players 6 feet 4 or shorter, passing Boston Celtics legend Dennis Johnson, and doing it in 421 fewer games.

But this mostly was about Bosh stepping up when needed most.

"I just figured now is the time to take a chance and see what happens," he said.

"It was a grind tonight. Without the defensive stands at the end we wouldn't have had our opportunities to win it."